Clothes hanger



March 14, 1939. R. BERNHARDT CLOTHES HANGER 'Filed April 26, 1937 .15kg-wenig? l l?? Q. 77%

-Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE 3 Claims.

This invention pertains to hangers intended particularly for supporting light dresses or other similar garments which are apt to slip off or become detached from the ordinary hanger.

The objects of the invention are to provide a clothes hanger of novel construction having means for clamping or fastening garments or clothes thereon; to provide a clothes hanger having oppositely disposed clamps to coact with the hanger bar, said clamps being operable either simultaneously or separately; to provide simple means for obtaining tension on the clamping members; and to provide such other improvements in construction and advantages in operation as will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating this invention,

Figure 1 is a front view of the hanger showing a garment supported thereon;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the central portion of the hanger; and

Figure 3 is a cross section of the parts shown in Figure 2.

The particular hanger herein shown includes a bar 5 which may be made of any suitable material, as for instance wood, this bar being supported by a supporting member preferably in the form of a hook 6 having a straight shank portion l. The lower end of the shank ts tightly in a hole 8 in the bar and has lugs or projections 9 which are forced into the wood and tend to prevent turning of the hook in the bar.

A bracket il! of substantially U-shape in cross section ts over the central portion of the bar and has a hole Il for receiving the shank 1 as shown in Figures 2 and 3. 'Ihe plate or central portion of the bracket ts against the lugs 9 and further serves to hold the hook in position. The sides I2 of the bracket extend down over the sides of the bar and are secured to the bar by a pin or rivet I3 which also preferably engages with the lower end of the shank and serves as a stop therefor.

The clamping means comprises arms I4 and I5 which are preferably made of light metal and are flanged or curved in cross section in order to strengthen and stiifen the same. The outer ends of these arms have pads I6 and Il of cloth, felt, rubber, or the like, for engagement with the bar 5 or the garment placed thereon. 'I'hese arms are supported on springs I8 and I9 in the arrangement shown, although a single spring might serve the same purpose. The inner ends ofthe springs are secured to the bracket l0 by means of rivets 2U and 2| and are held in alignment with the bar by ears 22 and 23 on the ends of the bracket. 'I'he outer ends of the springs are secured to the respective arms I 4 and l5 by rivets 24 and 25 and fit in channel-shaped recesses 26 and 21 which serve to hold the arms in alignment with the springs.

'Ihe arms or clamping members are actuated by thumb or finger pieces 28 and 29 which are preferably formed integrally with the arms and are curved upwardly as shown in Figure 2 adjacent to the stem l.

When a garment is to be hung on the hanger the branches 28 and 29 may be grasped between the thumb and ngers of one hand and pressed toward the stem, thereby raising the pads i6 and H away from the bar to permit the placing of the 15 garment thereon. After the garment is in position the clamping members are released andcause the pads l 6 and I 1 or ends of the clamping members to engage with the garment and hold it in position as shown in Figure l. In some instances 20 it may be desirable to raise only one of the arms which may be done by pressing on its corresponding branch member to raise the outer end vto releasing position.

While I have shown a dress or gown applied to the hanger it is apparent that it may be used for other garments and small garments such as stockings or the like` may be supported by the clamping means.

From this description it will be seen that I 30 provide a very simple construction in which the springs serve as pivots as well as extensions or parts of the arms and provide the necessary tension for holding the clamping members in engagement. I haveshown a preferred or commercial form of my invention but it is apparent that it may be changed or modified without departing from the scope or spirit thereof as set forth in the following claims, in which I claim:

l. The combination of a bar for holding garments or the like, a support engaging with the center of the bar, a bracket secured to the center of the bar, leaf springs having their inner ends rigidly fixed to the ends of the bracketand extending longitudinally of the bar, arms rigidly secured to said springs, pads at the ends of said arms, said springs being flexed to press the outer ends of the arms toward the bar and said arms also having integrally formed, upwardly extending branches adjacent to the center of the hanger which serve as handles for swinging the arms out of holding position.

2. In a clothes hanger, the combination of a bar, a support having a shank portion fitting closely in a hole in the top of the bar, projections on the support adjacent to the top of the bar, a bracket having a hole in which said shank portion ts closely, the lower face of the bracket engaging with said projections to hold the shank portion in the hole, a rivet extending through the sides of the bracket and the bar, leaf springs rigidly secured to the ends of the bracket and projecting longitudinally of the bar, and garment fastening members secured to the ends of the springs and extending longitudinally of the bar, said springs tending to hold the outer ends of the fastening members against the bar, said fastening members having nger pieces extending upwardly at their inner ends for manually swinging the outer ends of the fastening members away from the bar.

3. A clothes hanger comprising a wooden bar, a

saddle secured to the center of the bar, a hook having a portion inserted in the bar and interlocking means engaging with the saddle to hold the hook and bar together, leaf spring means rigidly secured to the saddle and having end portions extending longitudinally of the bar, substantially non-yielding arms rigidly secured to the ends of the spring means and extending outwardly over the bar, said arms having upwardly extending portions adjacent to the center of the bar to provide finger pieces for swinging the same, and means at the outer ends of the arms for engagement with the garment, the arrangement being such that the spring means normally tends to press the outer ends of the arms toward the bar for the purposes described.

RUDOLPH BERNHARDT. 

